Will of The Sun
by TotallyNuts
Summary: One young woman's chosen path will lead to her destiny, but can Sun Shang Xiang help lead Wu to victory? Her determination and strength will show her the way...
1. Freedom

A/N- This is a story I've been thinking about for a long time now, and I originally intended for it to a be a replacement story for Don't Let Go,but I'm considering continuing it now because I'm too fussy about things being left unfinished. I haven't abandoned anything just yet, I've been really busy settling into university so sorry for any long delays. I've become even busier than I was before but I've just got back into fanfic writing. Now, about the story... from that title, as you can probably gather, the story is based around the Sun family and Wu, but more specifically Sun Shang Xiang. It'll have some historical battles in, or at least, I hope it will. It'll be the opposite of Crazy Days in Wu I guess (I'm working on the next chapter of that, it should be ready this week if I'm feeling particularly creative), and I'm trying my best at writing battle scenes. Heh, we'll have to see how _that _turns out won't we? XD

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_Chapter One: Freedom  
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"Please let me go out and fight? I'll do you proud, I promise!"

Sun Jian, the leader of Wu, looked at his eager daughter and sighed. She had been begging him for a long time now and it wasn't as if she hadn't shown how much of a great fighter she was in duels and sparring. In fact, Sun Shang Xiang was just as capable as some of the elder generals; weaponry was her favourite pastime even though it was a dangerous one. Jian was just worried about her, just as a protective father should be. No father would be very willing to let their youngest and only daughter out on the battlefield and risk their life.

He stared at Shang Xiang as she held on to her neatly polished chakrams with their sharpened glistening blades. Did he doubt her talent? Or maybe he was scared of it… he honestly had no clue. "Shang, I'm not sure about this… what if something happens to you?"

After putting both chakrams on one arm she held on to her father's with the other. "Father, something is bound to happen out there, but I'm prepared for that. You know I'm tough, I can withstand most things, and I'm not reckless either. Do you understand?"

A small breeze blew past them as Jian looked out to the Wu training grounds. He had watched her train there most days and had even been challenged by her. She couldn't beat him though, but it hadn't stopped her from trying. Shang had probably become even more competitive since that day, which was something the other generals hadn't thought was possible. Lady Wu, Sun Jian's wife, wasn't overly impressed when Jian had first allowed Shang Xiang to train as a little girl. First it had been the swords, when Shang would swing it around the castle causing as much damage and destruction as a five year old could… until Jian let her practice with other weapons. Her eyes had been set on the chakrams since day one so she chose them as her weapon of choice. The generals residing in the castle didn't know which was better as Shang could throw both of them well…

"I do understand daughter, but I just don't want to let you go out so soon. It's my duty to protect you and I can't do that if you're miles out on the battlefield." He sighed again and then watched as Sun Shang Xiang put on her pity face. It was hard to say no to her sometimes- Lady Wu called him 'soft' for being so easy. Jian just wanted to see his daughter happy and would do anything for her. "I guess you can come along, but you're to stay by Sun Ce at all times. You can watch as it's your first time and only go out fighting if Ce is there with you… understood?"

Sun Shang Xiang nodded her head up and down vigorously before dropping her weapons and hugging her father. She had been waiting for his permission for as long as she could remember and now she could finally go… it was such a bundle of mixed emotions she was feeling and she was lost for words. Finally she could go out and fight, just like the rest of them! Gone were the days of staying inside waiting with her mother and the Qiao sisters- they had bored her to no end. But she dreaded what her mother would think, let alone say… Lady Wu was a very strong willed woman and tried to keep control of the whole castle; sometimes it was hard to tell who ruled Wu, Sun Jian or Lady Wu.

"Thank you!" she said mid-hug, squeezing him tight. "I promise I won't let you down!"

Jian nodded as she eventually let go of him. She stood by him beaming a smile as bright as the sun- his permission had truly made her happy. "Will you be alright killing others Shang? It does get hard sometimes…"

The young princess' smile faded as she thought about it seriously. Sure, battles were fun and exciting, but when its real lives are lost… she tried to imagine her enemies coming at her and herself trying to fend them off. She didn't know whether she was capable of killing someone… everyone on the battlefield was someone's relative, husband, son, brother, uncle… everyone was someone who would be missed. Shang Xiang knew that she would feel guilt, but surely that would pass? There could only be one winner and she was determined that she would be that person. "I'll be alright Father, its part of being a warrior, accepting what you've done. They're our enemies so we have to fight them."

"That's right- I was just checking that you'd be okay with it. I know with your skills you're easily capable of killing someone so there should be no problems with that. It's just the emotional side, but I know you're strong in that area too. Just promise me you'll be fine out there?"

"Father, I told you… I'll be alright! Like you said, I'm easily capable of killing someone, so I can defend myself out there! I promise!" She kissed his cheek before picking up her chakrams again and bounding off back into the castle to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Sun Jian watched his daughter disappear around a corner before deciding to go in the same direction. He wondered how Sun Ce would be able to cope with his sister at his side- it was likely she'd drive him crazy by constantly asking if she could separate from him. Jian knew he'd have to tell his son about the change of plan, as some kind of advance warning. He could've just allowed Shang Xiang to stay at his own side but it would've been better to let her go where more of the action is. Hoping that he'd made the right decision he opened one of the castle doors and stepped inside. It was time to prepare for battle…

**xxx**

Sitting next to Zhou Yu in the battle room, Sun Ce picked up a quill and started adding notes to his sworn brother's own plans. Yu had drawn up a map of everyone's positions so at least the Wu generals would know what they were doing. More importantly Ce needed to know what he was doing. Sun Jian, since receiving an injury at the hands of Huang Zu, had been forced to take a back seat in battles due to the endless moaning of Lady Wu. The injury had meant that the Wu leader was slightly weaker than he was before, and no longer the ferocious tiger he once was. He'd been fighting for a long time anyway so he kind of needed the break, and while the tiger was resting it was the Little Conqueror's turn to show what he was made of.

"So we're going to Qu'e… how dare that bastard Liu Yao threaten my mother and uncle!" Ce growled as Yu placed markers on the map representing the different generals. "Why don't you just place me right next to the bastard and the battle will be over just like that!"

Yu shook his head, knowing all too well the recklessness of his friend. "You rush into things too soon Sun Ce, that's not what this battle is all about. A good strategy is our key to success." He wrote something down on a blank scroll. "Is your father participating in the battle?"

"I don't think so. He's letting me do it by myself this time, so at least I can show him what I'm capable of. I say it's about time!" He grinned to himself and observed the map some more. He and his army were to go to Qu'e and launch an attack on Liu Yao, who was situated in the south east across the Great River after being driven out by Yuan Shu. Since arriving in Qu'e he had caused trouble, threatening Lady Wu and her brother Wu Jing, who resided there. This had angered both Sun Jian and Sun Ce, but Ce was the only one who could go out and fight. Summoning Zhou Yu, he decided to prepare his army and seek revenge on Liu Yao.

Fortunately Sun Jian had given Ce control of his most trusted generals Huang Gai and Cheng Pu, but Ce had yet to build up the main body of the army. What he needed were some strong generals, ones that Wu could really do with. Zhou Yu had joined the year before after he and Ce had been reunited- they had been separated when the Sun family relocated from Shucheng where the Zhou family resided. It was a large task to build up an army, but Sun Ce knew he was surrounded by the right people for the job. Wu would have an enviable army in no time!

The two best friends looked up as Huang Gai and Cheng Pu entered, followed by Sun Jian, Sun Quan and Sun Shang Xiang. They all took seats around the table with Sun Jian sitting at the head, waiting for the meeting to commence. Shang Xiang tried to get a look at Zhou Yu's plans but they looked so confusing and daunting, especially as she had never seen anything like it before. She was grateful that she had taken no interest in strategic matters, from what she had seen it didn't look like a fun job to have.

"It looks like you two certainly know what you're doing…" Jian said after studying the map for himself. "I believe Wu will be in safe hands with you both at the helm. What's the plan so far?"

"Well," Zhou Yu started, "we're to make our way to Qu'e, where Liu Yao is situated south of the Shenting Hills. Word has it that one of his volunteer generals, Zhang Jing, is defending the stores at Ox Landing. Attacking there would be a huge blow to their troops, so if we capture that we can get through the battle with no trouble. Are our troops ready?"

"Quan and I just checked on them, they're fully equipped and ready to go on my orders. Now, Sun Ce…" Jian turned to Sun Ce and smiled weakly. "I think that extra numbers may help in this battle, so I've decided to send your sister with you. She's shown to me that she's a capable warrior and I think everyone agrees with me. Is that okay with you?"

Ce looked at his father blankly, and then to Shang Xiang. "But Father, she has no unit!"

"I know, that's why I'm asking if she can stay with you. She'll be taking some bodyguards with her so she'll be able to help you. You'll be able to show her the ropes, teach her a few things about battle… what do you say?"

Sun Shang Xiang smiled sweetly towards her eldest brother, her expression almost begging him to say yes. Of course Ce couldn't say no, when Jian ever made a decision is usually stayed final. "Please Ce? I'll be good, I swear!" She smiled again, and beamed when Ce nodded his head, even if it was just a small nod. It still meant 'yes' in her book, and she was now excited of the prospect of going into the battlefield to help defeat the enemy. She started to think of the day when she'd be allowed to have her own unit and become a general… the dream was starting to become a reality.

"But you have to swear you won't separate from me!" Ce said pointing towards his sister. "This is an important battle for me; I don't want to end up responsible for the death of my sister. I guess it's best if you stay by me, Quan isn't that experienced himself…"

"I can do just as good a job as you Ce!" Quan argued back. "No one's giving me a chance to become stronger, you keep giving me easy positions."

"That's because you've yet to understand battle. Plus, doing the easy things helps you build experience- you shouldn't look down on them just because they're not that important. Even the greatest warriors need to start somewhere. Father didn't just wake up to find that he was in control of Wu."

Quan pouted and sulked in his chair, while Jian smirked- his son was actually speaking some sense! It was all true though, when he had started out he just fought bandits and groups of pirates. He had worked hard to get where he was, it was only fair that his children learn the same way. Hard work breeds success was what he wanted them to know. Life wasn't easy and it would never be simple, but the Sun children had been lucky. For most of their lives they had been brought up in the castle not having to worry about the outside world, and Jian just wanted them to realise the dangers.

After coughing Zhou Yu diverted the attention back to the conversation of the battle. He went through what he was hoping to happen at the battle- he explained that while some of the army attacked the enemy stores, the others should camp north of the Shenting hills and wait for a chance to attack Liu Yao. It would be the perfect opportunity to achieve a victory here and make the small Wu army even stronger. Yu hoped that they would get the chance to recruit more experienced generals attracted by the victories- Jian just hoped the army would be strong enough with him stepping out of the spotlight. Maybe Shang Xiang would be a vital asset to the army after all…

**xxx**

The sweet scent of incense billowed out of one the castle rooms located in the east tower and the atmosphere changed as the smell got stronger and stronger. For a castle inhabited by mostly male generals it seemed odd to outsiders that such a room exist there, but this room was no ordinary room. It was the Lady Wu's room, where she spent most of the day inside resting, relaxing, and keeping out of all things military. It was clear that Sun Shang Xiang had not inherited this side of her mother, just the feisty Sun attitude. Her mother was the complete opposite- she had the room decorated in shades of pink, jade, lilac and gold; silk curtains draped over the windows; sweet jasmine fragrance in the air; it was a truly feminine environment. It was no wonder that the two Qiao sisters, Da and Xiao, had felt so welcome in the room. They themselves were also extremely feminine and loved spending time in the room- the three would discuss their husbands, what with Da being married to Sun Ce and Xiao recently married to Zhou Yu. All day the room would be filled with the sounds of gossip and giggles, the noise sometimes echoing down the corridor. Even Sun Shang Xiang could hear it as she approached the room with her father.

Sun Jian nodded to his daughter and she sighed before knocking three times on the golden knocker on the door. She placed her hands behind her back and waited patiently for someone to answer, and found that as usual, she was answered by one of her mother's handmaidens. The handmaiden was dressed in pale pink and jade, armed with a small sword at her side. Clearly Lady Wu had even made her handmaidens match the room décor, but Shang Xiang always thought of it as bad taste.

"Is my mother available to talk?" Shang asked, and the handmaid nodded. She then quickly disappeared behind the door, before returning to signal the two Suns inside. Sun Jian felt uncomfortable as soon as he set foot in the room; he just didn't feel right in it. It was so bright and much too feminine for him. In fact, that was the reason he allowed his wife to have such a room, so she didn't go and terrorise the rest of the castle with the girlish colours and flowers; it wouldn't have gone down too well with the generals and Jian liked the occasional castle darkness and the shadows.

As soon as she entered Shang Xiang dodged the seats full of gossipy women and made a beeline for her mother, who was sitting on an elaborate chair eating small sweets with Da Qiao and another woman whom Shang assumed was someone wanting to marry on of the generals. There seemed to be endless queues of these women, and even if the generals weren't interested Lady Wu was always willing to let them stay and increase her list of contacts at the same time.

Lady Wu looked up at her daughter after eating a sweet, and then at her husband, who looked as if he wanted to run straight out of the room. She saw that Shang Xiang looked slightly nervous but most of the time she was; due to the Sun attitude short tempers and arguments were rife so bad news was hardly taken well. "You came to see me Shang Xiang? Please, take a seat and join us!"

"Actually, I was hoping I could just be quick, Father and I need to get to business. It's the battle tomorrow and…"

"You don't need to get to business my daughter; you're not even going to the battle! That means you can spend more time with me and do something together… I think it's time we got you into a dress…" Lady Wu pulled over a spare seat and motioned for Shang to sit. However, she remained standing.

"Mother, I've… erm… I was talking to Father earlier today and he's given me permission to go out fighting. He knows I've been practicing hard and I'm not as weak as you think I am. I'm strong now; I can even beat Quan in sparring! Mother, are you alright? You don't look well…" Shang Xiang looked at her mother who had almost frozen. Her facial expression was blank and she failed to say anything. She backed away slowly to where her father had so carefully chosen to stand as her mother's eyes narrowed and glared at them both.

"WENTAI!" Lady Wu slammed her fist on the table, shaking the box of sweets as well as making Da and the other woman jump out of their skins. "How can you let our only daughter go out and fight with those brutal men? Do you not know the dangers out there? She should be inside learning song and dance so she can find an honourable husband! What kind of life can she lead if she spends more time outside fighting than her husband?"

Sun Jian, with Shang Xiang hiding behind him, raised his hands up in front of him to be cautious. He was the only one brave enough to face his wife; his children would run in the opposite direction and hide. They obviously knew what was best for them. "Listen, my wife, Shang Xiang is very capable and a very strong fighter. She'll be by Sun Ce's side and he's already said he won't let anything happen to his little sister. She's been asking for this for a long time now, it's only fair that we give her this chance."

His wife stood up and walked over to them both. "Wentai, look at your daughter. You do want a son-in-law don't you? You're too soft, spending too much time spoiling her with attention and letting her do what she wants. If it was me instead, Shang Xiang would already be married to a gentleman and would most likely have a child by now. But what life are you trying to give her? Men do not want wives that are stronger than them." She crossed her arms and frowned at both of them. "You two are the same; always want to go out fighting living your life on the battlefield. The choice of a stable life is here Shang Xiang if you wish to take it, but you are old enough to make your own decisions. I suppose I can't force you to stay away from battles; you'd only try and escape from the castle. So… what's it to be?"

Nervously Sun Shang Xiang looked at both of her parents. She admired her mother's fieriness and attitude, but the lifestyle just wasn't her and never would be. To live that life would be living a lie and she couldn't do that. Plus, she wasn't ready for a family yet, she was only eighteen years old. Her whole life was ahead of her and she didn't want to waste any chances. To her, her chances were out on the battlefield. She looked up to her father and brothers, she always had done. It would be a dream to be like them she thought as she smiled at her father briefly. At the end of the day it was her life, and she was determined to live it the way she wanted to.

"I've made my mind up Mother," she said, straightening her back in an attempt to be assertive. "I'm going to battle as I've always wanted to."

Her mother nodded without expression and then pouted. "It seems I have three sons now, I can't even make my own daughter participate in womanly activities. Fine, you win this time Shang Xiang, but things will change. You're still my daughter, just remember that. Don't forget to see me before you leave for battle, okay?" She said the last sentence with a hint of caring in her voice, but was quick to turn around and walk back to what she had been doing before. Sun Jian put his hand on Shang's shoulder and proceeded to lead her out of the room.

"I'm not sure if she took that well or not," Shang said as she and her father walked back in the direction they had come from. "She looked pretty much annoyed at me. Do you think she's angry at me?"

Sun Jian shook his head and patted his daughter on the back. "I think she just feels defeated. She's just realised that she can no longer make decisions for you and she just doesn't agree with the path you want to follow. All I can say is that I'm proud of you, and happy that we have another warrior in the family!" He chuckled as Shang Xiang grinned and cheerily linked arms with him. "I'm glad you're happy too, I know you'll prove your mother wrong one of these days. I guess she just wanted a mini version of herself."

"Ugh, I'm so glad I turned out different then! Imagine a mini version of Mother…" Shang Xiang jokingly shuddered and then giggled. "I just hope this battle goes well, I can't imagine the grief she'd give me if I came back injured. 'I told you so' and 'You should've listened to me!'"

"Hopefully that won't be the case and you'll be fine. You'll be close to Sun Ce and you'll have some of your bodyguards with you too. I'm not saying you'll need to rely on them, but if you need any help at all go to them. We don't want anything happening to you, okay?"

Sun Shang Xiang nodded and hugged her father. "You worry about me too much, you know that? I promise you I'll be fine!" She stood back from the hug and rejoined arms with Jian before they reached the flight of stairs leading down towards the library and dining room. They found Sun Quan awaiting them at the foot of the stairs, and he joined them as they reached the bottom.

"We could hear Mother shouting from down here," he said as he walked with them to the indoor training area. "I take it you told her sis?"

"Yeah… obviously it didn't go that well. She says I can go but she wants to see me before I head out tomorrow. I have no idea what she wants if anything, I'll have to wait and find out." She sighed as they stopped outside the double door entrance. "I'll never understand her; she can be really weird sometimes."

Jian opened the door with his free hand and led his two children inside. "She's afraid and worried about you daughter. When she's like that she reacts in the only way she knows how and that's anger. She's always been like that. You've been closer to me so you haven't really bonded with your mother. I don't mean that you two aren't close, but there's still a lot you don't know about each other. Now, let's see what this lot have been doing while we've been gone…"

As they fully entered the room they observed the current sparring match taking place between Sun Ce and Cheng Pu. Zhou Yu and Huang Gai were standing at the side looking on, each watching as blows were exchanged, dodged and carefully blocked. Ce was using his treasured twin tonfas and trying to attack Cheng Pu who was wielding his trusted gilded sword. The three Suns who had just joined them went to stand with the two observers and waited for the battle to end.

"I believe I've won that one!" Ce said in triumph as one of his tonfas knocked Cheng Pu's sword straight out of his hands and sent it flying to the side of the room. Zhou Yu clapped for his friend as did Jian. The victor then went to shake hands with the loser for the sake of being good competitors. No one was rivals in the Wu castle and there were never any grudges held against anyone because they had won a sparring match. It was always thought of as practice and after all they could learn from their mistakes. "Good match Pu!"

"Yes, but now your father is here young prince… is everything ready for battle my lord?" Cheng Pu asked Jian as the Wu leader walked over to the window.

Gazing out Sun Jian watched the trees sway under the warm sky in the distance. It was so calm and peaceful, just how the land had been before the conflicts. "We should be prepared now, but it's important we get our rest ready for tomorrow. Sun Ce?"

"Yes Father?"

"I trust that you'll make this battle go smoothly and hopefully in our favour. Look after your generals and your siblings, and don't let me down. Quan and Shang Xiang- listen to your brother. Follow his instructions and do the Sun family proud." He stepped back from the window and turned to face all of them. "Let's do it for Wu!"


	2. Hear the Battle Cry

A/N- I'm glad you all enjoyed the first chapter! So… here is the next one. More battle scenes in the next one I promise, plus I've just got a copy of RoTK so I can get things right XD Enjoy!

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_Chapter Two: Hear the Battle Cry_

The sun rose slowly over the horizon, but one of the generals had not slept well at all. The excitement was there as usual, but that wasn't the reason why he couldn't sleep. Sun Ce put his sleeplessness down to the fact that his head was full of plans and ideas and he couldn't do anything about them until he was actually out there on the battlefield. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, occasionally turning his head to see if the sun had come up yet. He could see the sky turn brighter and brighter and he expected one of the maids to give him his wake up call anytime soon. Throughout the night Ce found himself tossing and turning, trying his utmost best not to wake up the woman lying next to him, his precious wife Da Qiao. For the first couple of hours she had asked him in her sleepy tone of voice to try and get some sleep ready for the next day as he'd need all of his energy, but no matter what Ce did he found himself wide awake.

The early morning twitter of the first birds sounded at the window and Ce knew that if he couldn't sleep now he wasn't going to today. Carefully he manoeuvred himself out of the bed, recovering Da with the covers that he had accidentally taken with him. His battle attire was already hung on a corner of a changing screen so he grabbed them off and stood behind the screen to change into the red, gold and black clothing. He tied up his heavy boots and quickly tied his loose hair up before stepping out from behind the screen and walking over to a golden full length mirror to check on his appearance. Sun Ce stood up straight, trying to admire himself. He still looked half asleep but he felt ready for the task ahead of him. He wanted to fight for the sake of his family and for Wu, and this battle would show everyone exactly what he could do.

Sun Ce slowly walked over to where he had woken up and looked down to his wife, who was still sleeping peacefully. He didn't dare wake her up after the troubled night he had caused her, so he leant over to gently kiss her forehead. "I love you Da," he whispered before picking up his tonfas from the wall and quietly left the room.

He grasped the handles of his weapons tight as he made his way downstairs to the designated meeting point. No one was awake yet, so he assumed that everyone else had managed to get a peaceful night's rest. That was his conclusion until he saw his father sitting down as he popped his head around the dining room door.

"Father?" he called out quietly, but it was enough to grab Jian's attention. "Could you not sleep either? Or did Mother kick you out of the bedroom for letting Shang go out?"

"No, it's not that…" Jian motioned for his eldest son to sit next to him so Ce took the nearest seat. "I was just worrying about your sister again. I know you'll protect her… am I being too protective of her?"

"Listen Father, she's your youngest and only daughter, of course you're going to be protective of her. None of us blame you for wanting to keep her safe. I still promise I'll look after- she's my only sister too. And I'll make Quan keep an eye out for her too. You shouldn't panic!"

Jian nodded slowly and clasped his hands together on the table. "I'm just worrying because I won't be there as I usually am. It still feels weird that we're going to battle and I'm not going to be there leading everyone." He sighed and looked at his weather-beaten hands. "The old must make way for the young in today's world…"

As Ce was about to reply the figure of Sun Quan appeared in the doorway and he too walked over to join his fellow Sun family members. He knew what they were talking about, and he too felt something about the situation. He and Ce had always followed the guidance of their father, but who could they follow instead? They both admired Huang Gai immensely as he was a great warrior of Wu and one of Jian's closest friends. They couldn't imagine the Wu army without Gai and they trusted him as much as they did other family members. There was also Cheng Pu, who had served Jian alongside Huang Gai. He would keep a watchful eye on the Sun children while Gai taught them to be strong and defend themselves in times of danger- it was these two people who had become almost honorary Suns. Quan knew that if Sun Jian couldn't be there, that Huang Gai and Cheng Pu would, no questions asked.

Quan straightened out his battle clothes and looked out of a small window behind his father. "It's getting lighter- do you think the others will be awake yet?"

"Your sister must be awake by now, but I think she was meant to see your mother before she left," Jian said as he heard the noise of more footsteps approach the large room. "We'll just wait and see how she gets on."

Xxx

Still in a sleepy state the young Wu princess carefully adjusted the red silk headband which graced her upper forehead. She used a small wooden brush to sweep away some of her short loose strands of hair from her face as she made sure she looked presentable for the battlefield, not that anyone was going to really notice. Sun Shang Xiang was going to represent Wu, her home, so she felt that it was only right she gave a good impression to her fellow warriors. In her mind she wondered how many other females would be out on the battlefield besides herself and her bodyguards- she came to the conclusion that there wouldn't be many as Xiao Qiao had told her during the previous night's dinner that 'you're the only crazy one Shang, every other female has sense not to risk their life'. It would be great to see someone else flying the female flag she thought, shaking her head a bit to see if anything would fall out of place. She didn't even know why she was trying to look good- she never usually bothered with her appearance. One thing she avoided though was any make up, after several failed attempts by Lady Wu to try and get her daughter to dress up.

"I'll show those men what a woman can do," she said to herself as she prepared to pay her mother a visit. It was still quite early and she suspected that Lady Wu would be asleep getting her 'beauty rest' as she liked to call it. She had left her chakrams in the training room which was a good thing, as Lady Wu usually objected to seeing her daughter carrying a weapon close to her. Shang continually assured her that she wouldn't hurt herself as she was fully trained, but Lady Wu would carry on moaning about the dangers of sharp blades and bleeding to death.

Shang Xiang left her weapon-laden bedroom and started to walk past her brothers' rooms, a dressing room and a study before reaching her parents' bedroom. She knew her father would be awake already as he was the early riser of the family, so she knocked three times and waited for her mother to answer. As she waited she played with the golden decorative buckle on her top, and then stopped as she heard soft footsteps come closer to the door.

The golden door handle twisted and it slowly swung open, revealing Lady Wu still dressed in her nightclothes. It was rare to see her like this- it was only Shang Xiang, Jian, Ce and Quan who had ever seen her that way. For everyone else all they knew of Lady Wu was that she was always neat and tidy- neither a single hair out of place nor a single crease in her delicate clothes. Shang followed her inside and closed the door behind her. Lady Wu grabbed a thin robe from a chair and put it on as they walked back over to the bed. They both sat on the side of it, and Lady Wu reached over to get something small from her end table.

"I take it you are ready for battle now Shang Xiang?" Lady Wu sighed as her daughter nodded, but it wasn't a time to argue. She had already lost- there was virtually no point in continuing. "I see… I just want to let you know that as I am your mother I will always love you, no matter what you choose to do. I'll be proud of you whatever path you take."

"But Mother, you've always campaigned against what I've chosen to do. You've never let me be happy choosing what I want to do… why have you let me be free to choose now?"

Lady Wu continued to hold on to the object in her hand and looked Shang Xiang in the eyes. "My reason is that I'm afraid of losing my daughter. You don't know how lucky we are to have you Shang Xiang… the pregnancy was complicated. No wonder your father protected you so well. I always wanted a little girl with whom I could pass on secrets to, give advice too, and teach things that my mother had taught me. You were never interested though so I thought I could use force to, but that didn't work. I don't feel like I've failed, I still have you and that's all that matters…" She wiped a tear away as Shang Xiang wrapped her arms around her.

"It's alright Mother, I understand… I'm not just doing this for myself- I'm doing it for Wu." She hugged her mother tighter before letting go and sitting closer. "I want to do the family proud without sitting around- I guess it's the way I am. I promise I won't let any of us down."

"I know, you've always been our little star." Lady Wu smiled a little and took one of Shang Xiang's hands. She opened it and placed in Shang's palm a necklace, which Shang Xiang moved closer to her eyes to get a proper look at it. The chain was silver and the pendant had a deep set ruby in it… it was beautiful, but Shang couldn't understand why it had been given to her.

"Mother, it's wonderful… but why are you giving it to me?"

Lady Wu took the necklace back, unfastened it and put it around Sun Shang Xiang's neck. "It used to belong to my grandmother, and she had always been a fighter. She had a fiery temper and a determined nature towards life. She never let anything get in her way and was always so willing. I think you inherited a lot of her spirit Shang Xiang, so I think you should inherit this too. Your grandmother was a great woman, and you are too." She took a look at her daughter wearing it before giving her a hug. She saw Shang, like she had done and wipe a tear away, so she pulled her in for another one. "Hey, don't cry… you're meant to be strong!"

Shang nodded in the hug and smiled. "Sometimes it's good to cry, like now. I'm crying because I'm happy! I know I never got the chance to meet Great-Grandmother but I wish I had the chance to meet her again. Was she really like me?"

"Of course she was, but back then she didn't have the opportunity to go out and fight like you. She was in a poor family so had to look after her brothers and sisters all day long, but it's her personality which shines through you." She let go of Shang Xiang and stood up. "I think your father is waiting downstairs for everyone, he wants to make sure you're prepared too. Are you ready?"

Sun Shang Xiang stood up, wiped her last tear and nodded. "Yeah, I am now." She carefully tucked the necklace behind her clothes, keeping the pendant close to her chest. "Thank you for the necklace- I'll keep it with me always." She headed towards the door and before opening it to leave she looked at her mother again. "I'll do it for Great-Grandmother too!" She closed the door behind her, leaving Lady Wu standing by the bed.

"Stay safe out there," Lady Wu said quietly as she got back into the bed. She took a deep breath before resting her head back down onto the silk pillow, and hoped that her family would be safe.

Xxx

Sun Jian watched as Huang Gai, Cheng Pu and their band of men left out into the distance to go to Qu'e for battle. They were to be sent first, shortly followed by the Suns and Zhou Yu. He scratched his head as he sat on the castle steps near the main entrance- the sun was making its way to the top of the sky and it looked like it was going to be a nice day for battle. The bright blue sky, the sun shining bright- for once Jian was able to admire it in its full beauty. He had never usually had this much free time on his hands but then again his life had always been about fighting and he never had much time for anything. He even wondered how he had time to marry Lady Wu and help raise three children.

Before the children had gone to pack their things onto their horses Jian had given them and the other generals a little preparation talk, just as he had done before when he went to battle with them. He told them to look out for each other as friends do, and to take great care on the field. He always did this as he liked to think that he motivated them too. The Wu leader was good at installing a sense of confidence into his generals and it certainly showed. Even though some generals came back with bloody wounds and broken bones they still felt happy- they were serving Wu, and serving a great leader who they would gladly give their lives for. Sun Jian did his best to protect them- he had always wanted to be a caring leader, not tyrannical at all. His time spent fighting in the coalition against Dong Zhuo had taught him a lesson not to turn into such a vile creature of evil.

He got up to his feet as the clip-clop of hooves of four horses approached. Four white horses being led by the three Sun children and Zhou Yu approached, and they bowed as they stopped next to Sun Jian. Jian bowed back and scanned the horses' bags to make sure that they had packed everything.

Sun Ce chuckled as Jian tried moving Sun Shang Xiang's saddle to see if it was secure enough. "Father, I'm sure Shang has done everything right, stop worrying or I'll get Mother to drag you back inside!"

"I'm just making sure Ce…" Jian patted the horse's head afterwards and went back to stand in front of the three. "I've never let you all go out at once, I'm just worried… that's all."

"Is this a family speech," Zhou Yu interrupted, "because I can step aside for a bit if you need it…"

"Zhou Yu, you are family to us," Jian said. "You always have been, we count you as a Sun too. Please, stay. It's important." He nodded as Yu remained where he was. "Now, as I was saying, I just want to know you'll all be safe. I know you're all going to say that you've been in fights and battles before and that you didn't get hurt then, so why should you get hurt now… but you can never foresee these types of things. I couldn't foresee that arrow piercing my chest could I? You just need to prepare for these events."

The four then watched in slight surprise as Jian went to hug each of them one by one. He hugged Shang Xiang last, and whispered something in her ear. Afterwards he ruffled her hair playfully before stepping back. Sun Ce was the first to jump onto his horse, and the others soon followed suit and did the same.

Jian stepped up to Shang's horse once she had got herself sat atop it. "Take care, my precious daughter. Listen to Ce well and be strong. I know you can do it." He then nodded his head towards Ce giving him the signal that it was alright for them to start on their journey. Ce then nodded towards Zhou Yu before kicking the side of his horse and riding towards the castle gates. The remaining three did the same and followed, waving to Sun Jian as they left.

Sun Shang Xiang, almost at the gate where her brothers and Zhou Yu were waiting, stopped her horse suddenly and turned it to face the direction Jian was looking into. Jian saw her stop, confused to as why she had. Then he saw her blow him a kiss before giggling and turning back round. He smiled and pretended to catch it- it was a little game that they had often played when she was a little girl. She would blow kisses everywhere and he would have to try and 'catch' them. It brought back a lot of memories to him, and he could see the little girl glint in his daughter's eyes as she smiled sometimes. But she wasn't a little girl anymore- she was a woman, leaving to take part on the battle she had waited so long to participate in. Sun Jian then waved back to them as the rode on to Qu'e… it was time to fight.

Xxx

"Are you ready then?" Sun Quan asked his sister as they rode side by side behind Ce and Yu. They had slowed the horses down now that they were halfway there. Ce had decided that they take a detour through some woods and that gave them a chance to prepare themselves mentally- the calm surroundings made a great mind clearer.

Sun Shang Xiang grinned and held on to her horse's reigns tighter. "Of course, do you know how long I've waited for this? This is the happiest day of my life so far! I can't describe how I feel at the moment- nervousness and excitement rolled into one emotion!"

Quan nodded in agreement and steered his horse around a large oak tree. "Yeah, I felt like that too as I got ready for my first battle. It was a bit hard for me though as it was during the whole Dong Zhuo thing. Sun Ce started fighting just near the start of that, at Si Shui gate. I was originally meant to just watch but my persistent begging finally got me out there fighting. You get an amazing buzz from it all, especially as you put into practice all of the things you've learnt during endless years of studying and training."

"Telling sis all the stories from back then Quan?" Ce said loudly as he turned his head round briefly. "Ha, great times back then. You weren't that old back then Shang, I don't think you would've remembered much about it. You had to stay in Wu didn't you?"

"Yeah, I had to stay with Mother. You can probably guess how much I loved that." She sighed before remembering her talk with Lady Wu earlier that day. "She told me this morning that no matter what I did she'd be proud of me anyway, even though she hates the thought of women fighting."

"Shang Xiang," Zhou Yu added, "it's because she is your mother and loves you. Parents are always proud of their children- it doesn't matter how strong or clever they are. As long as you are happy and healthy they will always care about you. I'm sure they'd care about you even if you weren't happy or healthy- it's called unconditional love. They will always see you as their little girl."

"I guess…" Shang Xiang took one hand from the reigns as she reached to the pendant and touched it. Her fingers grazed over the blood red ruby in the centre and she smiled into it. She had thought more about her Great-Grandmother and how much she wished she could've met her. I've probably got so much in common with her she thought as she put the pendant back underneath her top. She wondered if her brothers knew much about this amazing woman but she assumed that they didn't.

As he continued riding his horse Sun Quan could see the glint of silver in the corner of his eye. "I didn't know you wore necklaces Shang? What's the sudden change?"

His sister took out the pendant again and turned it to show him. "This… this is the necklace that Mother gave me this morning when she had her talk with me. She said it belonged to Great-Grandmother and that I should look after it. She said that Great-Grandmother had exactly the same personality as I have, and that if anyone should have the necklace it should be me."

"I see. I can't remember much about Great-Grandmother, and I'm not sure if I've heard much. I remember Mother saying ages ago, when you were younger, that you have the same eyes as she had, and the same adventurous nature. She's right you know. I've seen an old portrait of her and you'd be amazed by the similarity."

"Did she have her hair short like me?"

"Remember Shang, this was years and years ago! People weren't expected to cut their hairs short, especially if they were women. From what I can remember, it was quite long. Probably the same length as Ce's ponytail…"

The elder Sun brother heard his name being mentioned so quickly turned his head around. "Are you saying I have hair like a woman?"

"No! I was just giving Shang a guide as to how long Great-Grandmother's hair was in her portrait!" Quan laughed as his brother turned back round again. "Plus women don't have pointy goatee beards!"

Shang Xiang however still wanted to hear more. "Can you tell me more about her? Please?"

Quan rolled his eyes at his sister's determination to find out more. He himself had never really known much about Lady Wu's side of the family as it was full of fiery temperamental females. On Sun Jian's side it was much more male dominated so he felt more comfortable there. "I can try… she was probably around the same height as you. Grandmother Wu used to tell me stories when I was little, during the time when Mother was still pregnant with you and Ce used to go to lessons. She'd tell me things about Great-Grandmother… like how she'd chase all the birds from her rice fields so that it would all grow properly, and how she managed to frighten a burglar to death by just shouting and screaming at him. She must've been a great woman to manage to do all the things I've been told about as well as manage to raise seven children."

"Seven? Wow, she was amazing!"

"Yeah, but it was a very cosy and loving atmosphere. Grandmother said she wouldn't have had her childhood any other way- to be surrounded by lots of people who love and care about you is the most nurturing childhood you could ever have."

"I could probably learn a lot about her… maybe after the battle you could tell me more?"

"Sure!" Quan smiled as the group led the horses out of the woody area and onto the plains with the great large mountains in the distance. It was a picturesque scene and they could already see some of their reserve troops camped. This meant that the main body of the army were all ready and prepared.

An officer dressed in red and gold uniform trotted over on his brown horse to greet them. "Lord Sun Ce, the fighting has already commenced! Lord Zhou Yu's unit are on their way to Ox Landing and Lord Huang Gai and Lord Cheng Pu are assisting with the fighting on the mountain border. The troops are all ready and fighting until they receive further instruction."

"Great, because we're all ready too." Ce looked at Quan, Shang Xiang and Yu. "Zhou Yu, take Quan with you to the Ox Landing stores. Attack those stores and destroy them all! Shang Xiang, you'll come with me and look over the fighting, taking part where needed. Is that understood everyone?"

Zhou Yu nodded and led the way as he and Sun Quan headed west to Ox Landing. Shang Xiang rode next to Sun Ce as they made their way to the main camp. The noise grew louder the closer and closer they moved towards it. Hundreds of tents had been set up for the soldiers who were resting and those who were fighting, and Shang could see the medical tent quite close by. She watched as wounded soldiers walked in and out of the small shelter bloodied and bruised.

The pair jumped from their horses and took themselves and their weapons to inside the largest tent. A table had been set up for Sun Ce and it had on it the battle plans and there was someone wearing a robe marking down the flow of battle. Shang managed to sneak a peek in and saw that areas that had been attacked were marked down. She straightened up and folded her arms as the sounds of battle cries filtered in through the cloth walls. It was time to live the life she had chosen…


	3. It Begins

A/N- Whew, finally finished this chapter, and on Christmas Day! Well, I had to do something after being stuffed with food. Here are some battle scenes- I hope they're not too bad XD

* * *

_Chapter Three: It Begins_

Sun Shang Xiang poked her head through the battle tent to have a look outside. The shouting was still as loud as ever, and the beautiful mountain scenery had been destroyed by the endless sea of tents. She was itching to go out and fight but Sun Ce had warned her not to. Well, just not yet. Her chakrams lay at one side of the tent and she slowly walked over to them. They were still shiny and unused in battle… she felt like quickly grabbing them and running out to the battlefield, but she noticed her elder brother's watchful eye from where he sat discussing battle moves with Chen Wu, a new ally who had just decided to join Wu.

One thing she had noticed was that most of the generals were quite tall. Her brothers nearly towered over her and she always had to look up when speaking to them. This new officer was no exception. He was taller than even Ce, and Shang Xiang wondered how anyone could get so tall! She wasn't exactly short, but compared to them she definitely was. Luckily for her Lady Wu was quite short, but then again most of the women from the Wu side had been lacking in height.

"Hey Shang, come over here!"

Shang Xiang walked over to the table from where Sun Ce had called her and went to stand by his side. "You called me brother?"

"Yes…" Ce said as he tapped his fingers against the table surface. "Chen Wu has just informed us that Liu Yao has just been sent some volunteer troops by Liu Biao. The volunteer general, Zhang Ying, is guarding Ox Landing so we can trust Zhou Yu and Quan to deal with him. So in the meantime we are going to attack the mountain border instead of sitting around here all day."

"Yes, because we have been sitting here all day!" she replied quite angrily. "I'm meant to be going to battle and all I've been doing for the past few hours is standing around and poking my head out of the tent! I didn't know battle could be this boring!"

Sun Ce rolled his eyes and lightly laughed. "Sister, you can't just go rushing into things! It's just like what Father said, you need to prepare yourself. Besides, why are you complaining when I just said that we're going to go to the mountain border?"

"I guess I was just sick of waiting all the time, you know I can be impatient!" Shang dashed over to pick up her weapons and waited by the tent exit for her brother. He grabbed his tonfas and joined her, ready to start fighting.

Followed by their bodyguards (Ce's six bulky men and Shang's four tough women) they made their way to the makeshift stable to collect their horses. Shang Xiang untied her white horse and jumped on, before following Ce and his men to where the battle was already taking place. As they approached the border they could hear the deafening sound of metal clashing and the bloody dying screams of the enemy. Several enemy corpses lay scattered around, and in the distance they could see a fresh wave of enemy soldiers coming at them fast.

Sun Ce held a tonfa in each hand tight and prepared to attack. "Leave none of the enemy standing!" he cried out before rushing out into the sea of strange faces.

Sun Shang Xiang watched as her brother used his weapons from on top of the horse- she saw how the enemies were knocked out instantly by a few hits of his large weapon, and how much blood such a seemingly blunt weapon could draw. Her heart started to beat faster as one enemy soldier brandished their sword as they ran straight for her. The bloodthirsty look in their eyes frightened her somewhat- they wanted to kill her and she had frozen. Her bodyguards were fighting other soldiers who had surrounded them, and it was then that she realised that she would have to be the one to kill him.

She jumped off her horse and ran towards the enemy, chakrams in hand. At first she clashed with him- he tried to block her attacks with his sword, but he found himself slipping. Shang Xiang blocked his desperate attempts to slice her using defensive moves and carefully executed dodges, and even managed to flip out of the way just to confuse him. She assumed that he was surprised that he was being beaten by a woman, so she smiled as she kicked him in the stomach with her foot. The man was sent flying, his sword dropped as he clenched his stomach with his hands, crying out in pain. She walked over and looked down at him, and then turned around to see her brother looking at her. Ce nodded, and Shang knew what she would have to do next. Looking once at the shimmering blade she held in one hand, she closed her eyes as she swiftly lowered it down…

**Xxx**

"Do you think Zhang Ying will be there then Zhou Yu?"

"Hmm… I don't think so. He's probably a coward just like anyone Liu Biao hires…" Zhou Yu and Sun Quan led their men to the Ox Landing stores ready to wipe them out. If Zhang Ying was there then that made their job much easier. They didn't want to end up fighting while having to destroy the stores at the same time.

Sun Quan started to whistle to himself, trying to make the journey livelier. As they slowly made their way there Quan wondered how his sister would be getting along herself. He wanted to know if she was out there fighting but he wished her luck anyway. All of the Suns were natural born fighters so she assumed she'd be on the battlefield kicking butt and showing the enemies what the Sun family were made of! Quan tried to think about his first time fighting again but it had been many years ago. It was all fun anyway and he'd been glad he'd chosen this route in life. He took a deep breath, but then found himself coughing on what seemed to be smoke. Why could he smell smoke?

Zhou Yu sniffed the air, and then coughed himself. "Good gods, where is that smoke coming from?"

"I don't know… hey! The stores are in flames!" Quan pointed towards the large stores in the distance, the same direction the thick black smoke was coming from. He and Yu sped the horses up to go and investigate, holding a hand over their mouths to prevent themselves choking on the fumes. They were surprised at what they saw…

Upon reaching the burned out stores they saw two large figures standing in front a small gathering of men. One man looked quite rugged and had quite a dark complexion. He was holding onto a spear and some of his long black hair was loosely tied up with a dark red ribbon. The man standing next to him however was dressed in armour, wore a helmet which covered most of his face, and he held onto a katana held onto his belt. He had quite a serious expression on his face and initially Zhou Yu and Sun Quan were afraid to approach them.

The shorter man with the spear took a step forward and bowed to the two generals. "Do not be alarmed at the flames, we have destroyed the stores and scared away the guarding general. My friend and I, along with our men, wish to join the great kingdom of Wu!"

Quan jumped from his horse with his sword and went to stand in front of the two strangers. "Thank you for destroying them for us- we would be more than happy to welcome you both into Wu. I'm Sun Quan, second son of Sun Jian, and that person behind me is Zhou Yu, our chief strategist. And you two are?"

"I am Jiang Qin, and this here is Zhou Tai. We belonged to a band of pirates but after a long time spent travelling we both decided to leave and use our skill and talent for a good purpose. We assure you that you have made a good decision!" Qin then bowed with his spear in hand, as did Zhou Tai. The men behind them did the same.

Yu led the horse over and then dismounted one he was close enough. He bowed and shook hands with them both. "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you, and it's great to have you onboard. Did you say you scared the guarding general away?"

Qin nodded and pointed with his spear to the south. "He retreated that way… I think his name was Zhang Ying. He didn't have many people with him… those that he did have we wiped out fairly easily."

"That's good. But now we'll lead you both and your men to join the main army. There we will assign you both suitable ranks and tasks for the battle ahead." Zhou Yu climbed back onto his horse and led everyone back to the main camp, leaving the charred stores behind.

As they rode Sun Quan would turn his head around briefly and take a look at the two new recruits. It was easy to see that they were former pirates- their tanned skins and rough looks, their clothes, and the way they spoke to each other. But there was something about the taller man, Zhou Tai. He looked quite shady, and Quan had noticed that he hadn't said a thing yet. Quan was sure he wasn't evil, but he'd find out more sooner or later…

**Xxx**

The sounds of screaming seemed quite distant as Sun Shang Xiang looked down at what she had done. The man lay on the ground in front of her, his blood spilling onto the slightly dusty surface. The crimson liquid dripped from the chakram she held in her hand, and she felt a strange sensation overcome her. She couldn't bear to look at the vertical slash she had made on the man's throat- the blood was just pouring out of him. She knew he was dead and that there was nothing else she could do, as he would still be dead. Shang Xiang took a deep breath and felt the guilt- the man hadn't done anything to her and she had just killed him. She tried putting herself in the shoes of the man's family back at their home, if he had any family, and she wasn't getting a good feeling at all. The man would surely be missed by whoever he had left behind and it was she who had taken his life away so cruelly.

To spend years waiting to go out and fight, yet to feel like this after just the first kill… Shang Xiang couldn't explain it. She guessed that she hadn't expected to feel so bad. Ce had told her about it and warned her about the intense emotions, but she thought she had been ready. In her mind she hoped that the more people she killed and the more used she got to it, the less she would feel the same as she did just then. Still engrossed in thought, she didn't notice that Sun Ce had run over to see why she was standing there frozen.

"Shang, are you okay?" Ce took one look at his sister, and then at the man in front. He noticed his throat and the bloodstained chakram- he put the pieces together and led Shang away from the scene. "I guess you're feeling guilty now?" She nodded and looked down to the ground. "Let me put it this way sis- that man was trying to kill you. If you hadn't done anything he could've easily stuck his sword through you and killed you on the spot. You were defending yourself just like any other person on the battlefield."

"Uh huh…" Shang Xiang continued looking down, trying to block out the distant screams. "You did warn me before Ce…" She choked back her emotions- this was no place to be feeling upset. What good was she like this? She tried to shake it out of her and concentrate on something else, but what? More killing? She knew that she would get used to it eventually, just not right at that moment.

Ce nodded and kept his sister close. "Listen, I'll be here if it gets too tough for you. If you need a hand give me a shout and I'll be more than happy to finish them off for you." He pointed towards a large gathering of enemy soldiers in the distance with a tonfa. "How about we show them what we Suns are made of? You can just injure them if you want and I'll do the rest."

"Yeah right!" Shang Xiang stood proud and defiant, grasping her weapons tight and focusing on her target. "I'm not making myself look weak out there! If I can kill one enemy soldier I can kill many more… I need to do this if I'm ever going to get better!"

"That's my little sister!" The Little Conqueror chuckled and ruffled his sister's short tomboyish hair before running ahead, allowing time for her to follow. Sure enough she was all ready and running alongside him, a look of determination on her face and a fierce spark in her eye. "They won't know what's hit them once we've finished with them!"

The pair charged through the group of fifty or so troops, attacking them and forcing any of those quick enough into fleeing. Some were not fast enough as they were struck by a flying tonfa or a chakram. With her mind focused Shang sliced through the enemies, not letting any pass and letting her blade deal with their fates. Soon enough her mind was far away from thoughts of guilt, but concentrating on the safety of her home, the kingdom of Wu. If this was the way to protect it, then so be it. Her ears soon became oblivious to the screams; she barely noticed them as she ended their lives. She would occasionally take a glance at her elder brother to see that he was busy dealing with enemies of his own. She hadn't needed his help, and she knew inside that she wouldn't need it. Once she had found her strength from within everything was alright, and she didn't need or want the help. After her blade ripped through one more enemy Sun Shang Xiang looked around… there were none left standing? She scanned the ground with her eyes, to see that the troops that had been there before were now scattered around herself and her brother in a great bloody mess. She turned to her brother and smiled… she had done it herself, and a sense of pride filled her. Ce nodded back, as if to say what a good job she had done for her first try. Shang shook her chakrams slightly, getting rid of a few drops of blood causing them to splatter on the sandy ground, just as a familiar face joined them on his horse.

Zhou Yu halted his mare in front of the pair, and jumped down. "Nice job you've done here my Lord."

"Ha, actually only half of it was me. Shang Xiang's proven herself to be quite the warrior!" Ce pointed his head towards his sister, who was now grinning at the praise. "What brings you back so early? Could you not find the stores?"

"Well, actually… the stores were there, yes, but we were beaten to it."

Ce looked puzzled… he had only sent out his sworn brother and Quan. "Who could've possibly beaten you to it?"

"Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai, two former pirates from around the area. They would like to join us in this battle, and they have already been a great help by setting the stores alight and destroying them. I have sent them to the main camp to seek your approval, that is, if you wish to recruit them…"

"Of course they can!" Ce patted Yu on the back hard and laughed loudly. "Anyone who can send Zhang Ying fleeing into retreat is welcome here! Tell them they have my full approval and can join in the battle straight away!" He looked back at his sister, who was standing quite awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say. "Hey Shang, we're heading back to the main camp now, coming?"

Shang Xiang nodded and started following Ce and Yu, constantly looking around for any approaching enemies. Gone were her doubts, now all she wanted to do was rush out and wipe them out! She kept a huge smile on her face; she couldn't wait to tell Xiao Qiao about how much fun she was having out in battle. But her mother… she wasn't so sure. Lady Wu was difficult to predict but at least the worry about having her mother lecture her for getting injured had vanished, she was perfectly safe and unharmed. There was not a scratch on her body, everything was going quite smoothly. She faced forward with her chin held high, thinking of ways she could celebrate this afterwards. Her thoughts were however disturbed as something hit the back of her chakram on the blade, managing to knock it out of her hand. "What the…?"

She turned around, only to see that they had been followed. A tall general dressed in full armour, surrounded by several troops clutching swords, was holding a bow and arrow. He grinned as he watched the Wu princess become flustered and angry, and this only aggravated Shang Xiang more. Ce and Yu had also turned around, preparing themselves for a fight. Picking up her dropped chakram with her eyes still on him, Shang glared at him, pointing a blade towards him. "How dare you!" she screamed out, before getting ready to launch her attack. Before she had the chance she felt herself being pulled from behind.

"That's not a very wise idea Shang," Ce warned as he looked at the general once more. "He looks strong, I'm not sure you could handle him just yet. You might be better off leaving me to deal with him." He sighed as she sulked, but he knew it was for the best. Judging by the enemy general's heavy rods, he could've easily bludgeoned her to death and that was something he didn't want to see at all. Sun Jian had entrusted her safety to him and he'd risk life and limb to make sure she stayed alive. "I'll go and see what he wants. Zhou Yu, you can come with me. Shang, I want you to take Zhou Yu's horse and head towards the camp- if you see any of our troops send them over here to help us out, alright?"

"Of course…" Shang Xiang grabbed hold of the reigns she had just been given by Yu, and jumped on the horse, just as her brother and best friend charged over along with some scattered troops that had surrounded them. She galloped onwards, looking over her shoulder to make sure her brother wasn't hurt. _Of course he'll be fine, he's my brother!_ The wind rushed through her hair as she shouted out orders to groups of troops, who in turn ran towards their leader to assist. _This battle's not over just yet!_

**Xxx**

Back safe inside the main camp, Sun Quan sat with the advisors and discussed suitable positions for the two new recruits. He knew his brother would accept Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai into the ranks… after all, Wu was in the process of hiring strong generals, and Qin and Tai were perfect. Quan kept looking up at Tai, still wondering what it was about the man that made him so interesting.

Lu Su looked over the map and the current positions of the generals. "We could send Jiang Qin to join Huang Gai; he's on his own with his unit dealing with troops by the mountains. But what to do with the other one…"

"How about he joins my unit?" Quan suggested eagerly. "I can go through with him some information about Wu so he at least knows some background about us… what do you say?"

"We are not yet sure if your brother wishes for him to have another position…"

"What about having Tai as my bodyguard? You know what my father is like about us being protected, and he's already told me that I need protecting more than Ce. I don't have a main bodyguard right now, and Tai would be perfect! Come on…"

The strategist took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll assign him to you temporarily, or until your brother approves this move." He stood up and walked over to the two generals waiting for their commands. Quan watched as they nodded, accepting their duties. Jiang Qin was lead out of the tent and set forth to join Huang Gai's unit, while Zhou Tai remained. All was quiet, until the tall ex-pirate moved over to Sun Quan and bowed before him.

"It's a pleasure to serve you my lord," he said in his deep voice, expressing his gratitude for being allowed to serve. He looked around at the other strategists and advisors sat at the table and bowed to them too. His facial expression didn't change once- he did not smile or frown, and looked quite focused on the battle. "If my new lord wishes, we can go out to battle to aid our leader."

Quan nodded, and reached underneath the table for the sword that he had laid down. "Of course, that sounds like a great idea. Let's go then!" He bade goodbye to the table crowd and set foot outside with his new protector. Everything looked quite settled, until suddenly Quan noticed out of the corner of his eye his sister sat on top of Zhou Yu's horse calling out to the troops. "Hey, what's my sister doing here?" He ran ahead to her, and was followed by Tai.

Sun Shang Xiang pointed in the direction of the encounter ahead to some cavalry troops, and waited until they had started moving before turning around to see her brother and a strange new face approach. "Oh Quan, am I glad to see you! Ce's having some trouble up ahead; some bastard tried shooting arrows at us! He has some troops with him so I've just sent some back up… who's this?" She looked the new general up and down, impressed by his height and mysterious demeanour.

Once again Zhou Tai bowed low and introduced himself again. "I am Zhou Tai… I have just joined the Wu army. I'm sorry, but I've never seen a woman on the battlefield before."

"Tai, this is my little sister, Sun Shang Xiang…"

"I'm NOT little."

"Fine then, _youngest _and only sister. She's quite the fighter, she insisted on joining us. But I suppose now we'd better grab a horse and go to help my brother out?"

**Xxx**

"Argh… you're a tough one!"

Sun Ce dodged yet another of his opponent's blows, trying to fit in some of his own. It was no use; they had now been fighting for over half an hour yet neither was completely worn out. Tired, yes, but their determination was preventing them from just giving up and submitting. Ce was impressed; he hadn't experienced a fight like this for a long time. This general was too good to be serving such a despicable enemy… his talents would be so much more recognised in Wu.

The enemy blocked a swing from the tonfas and stepped back. "I, Taishi Ci, will not bow down to the likes of you! I will fight this to the end- don't expect me to go easy on you!"

"Well then, looks like we'll just keep on going!" Ce laughed and launched himself at Taishi Ci yet again. Each general's troops were gathered around, watching as their leaders battled each other. Time kept on passing, and they still continued, no signs of giving up showing at all.

As they neared, Sun Shang Xiang pointed out to Quan and Tai the battle in progress. "Oh wow, they're _still_ at it?" She jumped off her horse and ran over. "Go Ce, wipe him out!"

Ci lifted his head up slightly as he clashed with Ce. "Oh, you again! This is no place for little girls…"

"I am NOT little! You just wait until my brother's finished with you!"

"Surely you mean the other way around?" Ci focused his attention back to the fight at hand, trying not to let his attention slip. This was getting too intense, and he was feeling his strength slip as time progressed. He needed an opportunity to slip away… any would do… he waited until Ce had turned his back slightly, and craftily kicked a leg out, tripping him up and causing him to crash to the ground in a crumpled heap. The warrior then sped away as fast as he could along with his troops.

"Damn it!" Ce turned over and looked up into the sky before jumping back to his feet. "He's tired… he should be an easy catch. Send someone out to capture him!" But before he could choose the person for the job a ray of red streaked straight past him. She wasn't… was she? "Sister! Get back here!"

Shang Xiang refused to stop, continuing in her chase. "No one calls me a little girl and gets away with it!" She raced ahead, soon catching up with the worn out general who had now slowed down considerably. He was now in sight, so she kissed her right chakram handle before throwing it at his head. It struck his metal helmet and it bounced off, crashing to the ground behind. The force of the blow was too much for the fleeing Taishi Ci to take, and he was pushed forward, face first into the dirt. The angry Wu princess nudged his side once reaching him with her foot, making him roll over onto his back.

"Now…" Shang coughed and pointed a blade downwards. "I would kill you, but it's not often I see such fighting skill. And we wouldn't miss such an opportunity as recruiting a powerful general to our side. Do you_ really_ want to be serving that loser Liu Biao?"

Ci looked up at the young woman… he thought about her question carefully. Liu Biao wasn't the best of leaders to serve, he had to admit. He wanted to serve someone who was as strong as he was, and didn't want to let his talents go to waste. Sun Ce had been an admirable opponent, and if the other Wu generals were like that then maybe Wu wasn't such a bad place to be after all… _and this woman doesn't look like she'll let me leave alive anyway…_

"I've been searching for an honourable leader for quite a while now…" Ci propped himself up using his arms and looked up at Shang Xiang. "It would be a pleasure to serve such a strong leader, like your brother. That is, if you'll take me."

A grin appeared on the princess' face as she put the blade in her spare hand and offered it to him. "And it would be an honour to have you join us! We could do with someone as strong as you."

"Thank you…" He got up to his feet without taking her hand, fearing that his weight would only drag her down. He shook off the dirt and took hold of his weapons, looking behind him as his troops fled away. "Cowards…" he muttered under his breath. "Oh by the way, were you seriously thinking of hurting me with that weapon of yours?"

Shang bent over to pick up her thrown chakram and smiled. "Oh you mean my chakrams? Oh on, I've had enough killing today as it is, and those rods look like they can do some serious damage. Can I try holding one of them?"

Taishi Ci passed her a rod and watched as she tried lifting the weight. She could barely lift it from the ground let alone try and attack with it. "It's heavy I know… and I would never dream of raising my weapons to a woman such as yourself, no matter how strong she may be." He noticed her deep sigh and long face. "What's the matter?"

"No one takes me seriously. I mean, when you saw me, you called me little girl!"

"It must've been a heat of the moment thing, and I'm sorry. You look quite determined; you'll go far with that attitude. Is this your first time in battle?"

She nodded and led them both away to where Sun Ce and the others were waiting for them. "Yeah, but it's been great. I've killed enemy troops and managed to take down a general, as well as persuade him to join us!" She playfully punched his arm and laughed. "Don't worry; you'll like it with us! We're friendly and you'll get along with everyone just fine. You already know me and my brother now." They stopped in front of the group, and Ci lowered himself to his knees in front of Ce.

"Lord Sun Ce, your sister has managed to persuade me to defect to Wu, I would be most glad to serve you and your kingdom." He raised his head slightly to await his response, and was surprised when Ce also lowered himself down, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I am glad to hear that, it would've been such a waste of your talents if you were to continue serving Liu Biao. Having experienced your might and strength, I welcome you into Wu with open arms. It's great to have you join us!" He patted Ci on the back and led him over to Sun Quan and Zhou Tai. "Ah, brother, this must be another of the new recruits?"

Quan nodded and signalled for Tai to step forward. "This is Zhou Tai; he joined us alongside Jiang Qin. He's been recruited as a general, but also as my bodyguard, or protector as you might say."

"Great!" Ce shook Tai's hand vigorously and grinned. Three new recruits in one day and from what he had seen they all looked like they were up to the job. Sun Jian would be proud, but Ce was impressed with his sister's efforts. The battle was now in their favour, and now they just needed to move in for the kill…


End file.
